In the new NFPA Journal, what defines success for a Firewise Community?

Many Firewise Communities, whose residents have banded together to take measures to protect their properties from the threat of wildfire, have the same question: what defines success?

Lucian Deaton, who manages the Firewise Communities and Fire Adapted Communities programs in NFPA's Wildland Fire Operations Division, has been asked the question many times. Deaton shares some of his thoughts on the matter in his new column, "Measures of Success," in the November/December issue of NFPA Journal.

While even beginning the conversation in a community constitutes some level of success, "the ultimate goal is a community that believes in the aspiration of the effort and sees itself empowered through such social change," Deaton writes. "To capture the true impact of preparedness, though, the metrics should explore what those activities have accomplished and influenced."